A rare feat. Colts Neck ties CBA for first place in A North
Cougars claw back twice to pull out win over Marlboro in extra innings
It took some doing but Colts Neck made history Saturday.
The Cougars, No. 8 in the Asbury Park Press Top 10 Poll, rallied with four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and two in the eighth to overtake Marlboro, 9-8, and finish in a first place tie with CBA in Shore Conference Class A North.
Colts Neck became the only team in the last eight years to share first place in the division with the Colts.
Ocean shared the top spot n 2003.
""Our kids were ecstatic,''said Mike Yorke, coach of Colts Neck (13-4, 11-3). . His team had already clinched the A North Public Championship for its first title in baseball.
""We were dead in the water down four in the last inning,'' said Yorke. ""It shows a a lot when you can come back not only once but twice with a lot on the line.''
In the seventh a two-run double by A. J. Rusbarsky led to a two-out, game-tying RBI double by Pete Salvati.
Chris Craig Bodzinger went 2-for-3 and was on base five times and scored three runs for Marlboro (3-13, 2-12) which took an 8-7 lead in the top of the eighth.
But in the bottom half Dom Hayes tied the game with a single and, after reaching third on another Rusbarsky double, scored the winning run on an error.
""We were out played for six innings,'' said Yorke. "Marlboro did everything it had to do to win the game. We were truly on the ropes.''
- Tony Graham
It took some doing but Colts Neck made history Saturday.
The Cougars, No. 8 in the Asbury Park Press Top 10 Poll, rallied with four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and two in the eighth to overtake Marlboro, 9-8, and finish in a first place tie with CBA in Shore Conference Class A North.
Colts Neck became the only team in the last eight years to share first place in the division with the Colts.
Ocean shared the top spot n 2003.
""Our kids were ecstatic,''said Mike Yorke, coach of Colts Neck (13-4, 11-3). . His team had already clinched the A North Public Championship for its first title in baseball.
""We were dead in the water down four in the last inning,'' said Yorke. ""It shows a a lot when you can come back not only once but twice with a lot on the line.''
In the seventh a two-run double by A. J. Rusbarsky led to a two-out, game-tying RBI double by Pete Salvati.
Chris Craig Bodzinger went 2-for-3 and was on base five times and scored three runs for Marlboro (3-13, 2-12) which took an 8-7 lead in the top of the eighth.
But in the bottom half Dom Hayes tied the game with a single and, after reaching third on another Rusbarsky double, scored the winning run on an error.
""We were out played for six innings,'' said Yorke. "Marlboro did everything it had to do to win the game. We were truly on the ropes.''
- Tony Graham
posted by Tony Graham at 4:27 PM
6 Comments:
curious, how does colts neck get to share the division title when they lost two times to cba. seems like a no brainer that your tie-breaker would be head to head. if they split then co-champs would be fair.
Officially......they (CBA and CN) - I believe - are not recognized by the Shore Conference as co-champs.
CN is officially the A North public school champ and CBA the Non-Public A North champ. They do not share the title.
I know..the whole concept is ridiculous.
It was the brain child some years back of a few public schools that felt they would never beat CBA in hoops (which Freehold Twp did this year) or RBC and or SJV in girl's hoops...
But this way the public school (if it finishes at least second) can say it won a championship....
Even the kids realize how bogus the manufactured title is ..sadly the Shore Conference went along with it.
The only thing that is official is that CBA and CN finished tied for first place. That is indisputable.
Now before the Non-Public (and prior to that Parochial champs) were artificially invented - I'm trying to recall - at one time if two teams tied for the top spit if one team swept - it might have been declared the champion by the Shore Conference.
I'll have to check on that though.
Tony
how could the colts neck coach be quoted in the paper saying that they share the crown with CBA. We beat them twice. The coach should apologise to all the cba players.
I do not see a quote from coach Yorke in the story saying they shared the A North title.
I actually had a technically incorrect headline on the blog - for which I am responsible - that said CN shared the championship and that is not correct.
The teams did finish in as first place tie as we know.
If you check now I have changed the headline on the blog.
So I apologize!!! Will CBA ever forgive me?
To be honest..I think we're splitting hairs here...
Bottom line.. the teams tied for first place and - offically - they both won a championship - CBA the A North non-public, and CN the A North public.
I personally.. think the Non-public and Public school titles manufactured by the Shore Conference to appease some of the public school coaches are a bunch of nonsense.
They shared first place...great seasons by both teams.
Tony,
A few days ago I had asked for the best sophomore team and the best junior ocean county teams in your opinion.Is it to early or do you have a thought on it.
I did run a bunch of kids down for you off the top of my head the other day. Please .go back a few blogs..and check the comments...
There is no official all-junior, soph teams of course...and freel free to offer your own
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